Month: April 2017

The smartest PR pros know that they have to take a magnifying glass and have a look around … often. If you are not watching the competition or consumer conversations, how can you differentiate messaging or position your brand to build relationships?

It’s easier than ever to lurk where consumers and competitors are vocal. You don’t need to make it a big project. In 5 minutes a day, you can check up on just 2 media channels to take the pulse of competing brands and trends. Your 5 minutes are best spent on

tweets (where hashtags can be easily used to compile current conversations) and

online news (where brands and influencers make news and recommendations).

1 minute – Use a notebook or a spreadsheet to jot down what is dominating this day’s conversations and news. Note the things that are most repeated. Note any emotion or intention. Note innovation, events and collaborations. If you routinely do this, you will spot new trends right when they start.

1 minute – Share one or two of the most interesting stories with others. Be a resource for your boss, your colleagues or your clients. Cut and paste a few representative articles into an email and pass it along.